This comedy-drama is about a queasy subject

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT), Chesley Plemmons Theater Critic

Published
1:00 am EDT, Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Let me candidly admit that I have never been as bowled over by the work of Paula Vogel as many critics. Her plays, including "How I Learned to Drive," currently at the Ridgefield Theater Barn, "The Baltimore Waltz" and "A Civil War Christmas" have always seemed longer on concept than on solid theater.

Having seen the original 1997 production of "Drive" with the inspired performances of

Mary Louise Parker
and
David Morse
, I could appreciate why the play won so many awards that year, including the always-suspect Pulitzer Prize. It was an instance when acting, directing and script came together in a perfect fit. When the stars were replaced later in the run, the play seemed to lose some of its ethereal eeriness.

, is an earnest effort marred only by the convoluted action and an occasional bit of overacting.

"How I Learned to Drive" is a difficult assignment for the director, actors and audience. The story is about a genial pedophile and a provocative "nymphet" with the playwright admittedly inspired by Nabokov's "Lolita." "Drive" puts the theatergoer in the awkward position of having to judge or accept the ongoing, unsavory relationship between an older man, Uncle Peck (
Tom Sheehan
) and his young niece, Li'l Bit (
Barbara Marks
).

This is a memory play recalled by the 35-year-old Li'l Bit. The story nervously jumps back and forth in time from when she was a little girl through her teens, a period in which her uncle systematically took sexual liberties with her -- often after what appears to be teasing encouragement.

What Vogel is suggesting is there is often guilt on both sides of the equation when it comes to pedophilia. This is an idea that might seem hard to accept, were it not for the precocious sexual development of young people in today's society.

Using driving lessons as a metaphor for growing up, the scenes are tagged to phrases connected with automobile lingo -- "Idling in Neutral Gear," for example.
J. Michael Griggs
' projected road signs are both apt and amusing and scenic designer
Myles Gansfried
has provided a classic car interior for the tryst like lessons.

In the difficult role of Li'l Bit, Marks works hard at distinguishing the age differences in the various scenes with her strongest work coming when the girl begins to recognize the trap she has placed herself in. Her tipsy scene in a restaurant where the help looks the other way when serving drinks to minors, is sad, scary and nicely acted.

Sheehan is excellent throughout, creating just the sort of kindly, genial family member that often hides secret lust behind a mask of love and concern. He has a brief scene with an unseen, young boy he has taken fishing. His manipulation of the boy's emotions ends by drawing the boy to him in a protective embrace. We're spared seeing the man's next moves.

It's not surprising that Peck is an alcoholic, turning to booze to ease both his actual guilt and his obsessive impulses. That we have sympathy of a sort for him is a tribute to Sheehan's subtle performance and the restraining hand of the director.

There's a three-actor ensemble --
Cheryl Boyd
,
Tom Devlin
and Jennifer Gantwerker -- who step in as Li'l Bit's poor white trash family and also as school chums, waiters and the like.

Most of these cameo characters are fine, but some are over the top. Boyd is effective as Peck's perceptive and resigned wife, Devlin is funny as an always-ready martini man, and Gantwerker gets laughs from her turn as the puritanical grandmother.

The script tips towards the tawdry in scenes where Li'l Bit's family rants about sex, sex, sex. No role models there. Surprisingly there is considerable comedy in this play, albeit slanted to the dark side.

Bass' direction is sensitive and steady, with the exception of the sometimes fuzzy identification of Li'l Bit's varying ages.
Jose Helu
's work as light and sound designer is a plus, as are the snippets of period music played on the car radio.

"How I Learned to Drive" is not a play for everyone despite its credentials. It is, though, a thought-provoking work -- if you're not queasy about encountering moral road kill.

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"How I Learned to Drive" plays through April 4 at the Ridgefield Theater Barn, 39
Halpin Lane
, Ridgefield. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and matinees Sunday, March 22 at 2 and 29 at 3. Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes with no intermission.

Tickets are $24, $20 for seniors (62) and students. Call the box office at (203) 431-9850, or purchase online at ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org.

This production contains adult themes, language and content and is not suitable for younger audiences.